Women take the lead

Battleready: Manikarnika 

Kangana Ranaut, who makes her debut as a feature film director too, will be showcasing the tale of Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi. She was the first woman warrior queen and led the first independence war against the British during her era.

Sportswoman’s spirit: Saina Nehwal 

In this Amol Gupte directorial, Shraddha will play the young sporting icon of India, Saina Nehwal. A former world no 1, Saina is the winner of over 23 international titles in badminton having earned India a reputable name in international sports 

Flying high: Gunjan Saxena

Janhvi Kapoor will lead the way for bringing forth the story of Gunjan Saxena, the first Indian woman combat aviator, who evacuated injured soldiers in the 1999 Kargil War.

Odd woman out: Shakeela

Braving to bring the story of a woman who was tagged and bracketed for her choices of starring in adult films in late 90s, Shakeela-starring Richa Chadha brings forth story of the woman who was a pioneer and a true revolutionary in the south film business during her time. Directed by award winning director, Indrajit Lankesh, the film will tell the story of Shakeela who defied norms during her time in a male dominated business.

Fight for justice: Laxmi Agarwal

Deepika Padukone will bring to celluloid the true story of a brave woman, Laxmi Agarwal. Laxmi, an acid attack survivor, is an activist for the rights of acid attack victims. The film is being directed by Meghna Gulzar

Hot wheels: Deborah Herold

Jacqueline Fernandez will play the ace Indian cyclist in the upcoming biopic. Deborah is a 23-year-old cyclist who hails from Nicobar Islands, and was the first Indian cyclist to compete in the UCI, Union Cycliste Internationale.

Race course: PT Usha

Director Revathy S. Varmha will make a film on the legendary athlete in English to be dubbed in four other languages, Hindi, Malayalam, Chinese and Russian. While a final cast is yet to be announced, actor Priyanka Chopra seems to be the front runner for the title role.